Intel and ZTE team up for Atomic phones

Intel and Chinese smartphone juggernaut ZTE have inked a deal to develop a new generation of Atom powered smartphones.

According to PC Magazine, ZTE said that it will enter a “multi-year relationship” with Intel to develop a new series of Atom phones, building on the success of ZTE’s Grand X IN handset. The Grand X IN was one of ZTE’s flagships last year and the company now plans to expand its line-up of Intel phone.

Intel showcased its new Clover Trail+ Atom Z25xx SoCs at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month. The new chips feature a lot more graphics muscle, along with bumped up CPU cores. However, Intel’s mobile Atoms are still stuck at 32nm.

Intel’s next step is to offer integrated LTE modems in next generation chips and these 22nm parts are expected in 2014.